Reverberations of Quetta

We cannot close our eyes to the fact that this Independence Day is being celebrated under the shadow of one of the most horrific acts of terror in the blood-dripping annals of our recent history. The incident took place on Monday in Quetta.

What kind of an impact has it left on the nation’s mind? How deeply have our leaders been touched by this soul-destroying atrocity? Has there been an intense and sincere deliberation on what this means, in the light of our ongoing war against terrorism and the professed resolve to dig out its roots from our society?

Yes, the initial shock was very real. Quetta has suffered some really gruesome terrorist attacks. It is hard to forget the images of vigils held by Hazara families after massive terrorist attacks on their community. But the blast at the emergency ward of the city’s Civil Hospital came at a time when the situation had greatly improved. Still, the meticulous planning that seemed to have gone into this act of terror and the target chosen would naturally raise many questions.

This time, the terrorists went specifically for the lawyers. And they were able to able to achieve their purpose in an astounding operation. First, Bilal Anwar Kansi, president of the Balochistan Bar Association, in a gun attack. When a larger number of lawyers had arrived at the hospital to receive his body, a suicide bomber blew himself in their midst.

Hence, most of the more than seventy persons killed in the attack – with more than one hundred injured – were lawyers. Their number is said to be about 60. They constituted the cream of the fraternity. To some extent, the entire edifice of the judicial system of the province was shaken. It is easy to see how great the loss is in human terms.

There was an immediate response on the part of the civil and military leadership of the country. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Raheel Sharif were in Quetta on the day of the incident. But they did not travel together. This was noted by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, leader of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, in his speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday. It was this speech that stirred controversy and led to some unsavoury and contentious remarks.

To return to the questions I raised at the outset, it is sad that the national discourse on seminal issues that relate to security and governance of the country has not remained sober and thoughtful. A forbidding thought it is but it seems that the talk shows of our news channels have dictated the norms of the debate at the higher political level, including in the National Assembly.

There is hardly a pause for genuine deliberation. Questions raised remain unanswered. There is little respect for facts. The main players in this game lack the capacity, intellectually, to understand and analyse a situation. In his speech in an almost deserted National Assembly, Achakzai said that our intelligence agencies had failed in their duty to protect us and that it was not right to blame foreign agencies such as RAW and Mossad for these acts of terror.

These comments prompted a quick rebuttal from the patriotic brigade and, typically, Sheikh Rashid – the epitome of the talk show idiom – told reporters in Quetta that he believed that Achakzai was an ‘Indian agent’. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan also expressed his displeasure over Achakzai’s remarks, and staunchly defended the security agencies.

A lot of dust was also raised by Chaudhry Nisar’s press conference on Friday. What made the headlines was his assertion that the PPP had sought relief for Dr Asim Hussain and ‘super model’ Ayyan Ali. Expectedly, there was a counter-attack from the ranks of the PPP. They, on both sides of an argument, are quite good at it.

You do find some comic relief in these political repartees. But one shudders to think that the core issue was the Quetta blast and our war against terrorism and extremism. A matter of life and death for the entire nation, to be sure.

When it comes to being serious about these matters, comments made by Gen Raheel Sharif during a high-level security meeting held at the General Headquarters on Friday have attracted much attention and may excite some whispers in the corridors of power. It is significant that the army chief’s words have been quoted verbatim in the ISPR press release.

This is what he is reported to have said while reviewing the progress of the military operation against terrorists: “The National Action Plan is central to achievements of our objectives and its lack of progress is affecting the consolidation phase of Operation Zarb-e-Azb”. This concern over lack of progress on NAP had earlier been reported but now it is not conveyed through a tweet of Lt-Gen Asim Bajwa, head of the ISPR. Gen Raheel Sharif is saying this himself.

It is also to be noted that the army chief’s observation has come after high-level meetings held between the civil and army leaders to review NAP, which was launched after the massacre of our schoolchildren in Peshawar on December 16, 2014. It is adequately comprehensive in its pursuit of a terror-free Pakistan.

For instance, its last – and twentieth – point is about revamping and reforming the criminal justice system. How can you even move in that direction when judges and lawyers feel so insecure? It is true that in the wake of Operation Zarb-e-Azb and the Karachi operation, with its limited scope, terrorists are on the run. Statistics confirm this impression. Yet, the Quetta blast certifies their presence and their organisational capacity.

Beyond this front, the political and social spheres are in a state of disorder. Nawaz Sharif’s absence, when he was in London for health reasons, had encouraged his detractors to hope for a change, though no one could decipher how it was possible. During this week, he has been on the spot. But he is under pressure. Imran Khan is at it again. The PPP is also making noises. This also means that the Sharif administration will be distracted from the urgency of implementing NAP – if it is mindful of what it requires.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani society is in a mess and ordinary citizens are angry and upset about the rigours of their everyday existence. The Independence Day celebrations will cheer them up only for a while.

The writer is a senior journalist.

Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com